The present invention relates to thermal detection systems, and more particularly, to a thermoelectric cooler controller, a thermal reference source employing the controller, a detector system employing the thermal reference source and controller, and a thermal calibration system.
The assignee of the present invention designs and manufactures thermal imaging systems that employ thermal reference sources in its image detection systems. Such thermal imaging systems have heretofore employed a thermoelectric cooler driver that included a controller for a thermal reference source. The prior controller employed in such thermal imaging systems to control the thermal reference source does so by changing the voltage supplied to the thermal reference source.
The above-described and previously employed controllers for the thermal reference source use a voltage to drive the thermal reference source. The output stage of the controllers is a power amplifier that requires high current bipolar power inputs. Voltage control can lead to dithering about the intended temperature, since a thermal reference source is best defined as a current controlled device.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide for an improved thermoelectric cooler controller, a thermal reference source employing the controller, a detector system employing the thermal reference source and controller, and a thermal calibration system, that overcome the problems of prior designs.